Automatic safety hose-coupling.



A. H. HARRIS. AUTOMATIC SAFETY HOSE COUPLING.-

APPLICATION FILED 55.124, 1910.

969,276. Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

2 SHEETHSHEET 1. i1=l I amoemboz A. H. HARRIS.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY HOSE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1910.

969,276; Patented Sept. 6,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awe Moe UNITE sa'rns PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPHUS H. HARRIS, 0F DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL RAIL-ROAD AUTOMATIC SAFETY PIPE COUPLING COMPANY, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY HOSE-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

Application filed January 24, 1910. Serial No. 539,736.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLPHUs H. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic S afetyHose-Couplers; and I-do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable-others skilledin the art to which it appert'ains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to couplers for air hose of railway brakingsystemsand the object of the invention is the provision of a coupler of thistype which will dispense with the flexible connections between the carsand provide a positive coupling which is adapted to accommodate asinanyfluids as is found to be necessary, such as com-' pressed air, steam,cold and hot water, or any other fluid.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novelcoupling box and a novel sup ort for the same which permits the box tolave lateral and vertical movement. Y

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement ofparts, as willbe more fully described and particularly pointed out in'the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a section taken through a pairof connectcd cars, showing the air coupling in side elevation; Fig. 2 is.a longitudinal sectional view through the parts F ig. 3 is a detailhorizontal section on the'line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detailhorizontal section on the line l-'-l of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a detailtransverse scction on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. (5 is a transversesection on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring more especially to the drawings, l and 2 represent the cars tobe coupled, each of which is provided, upon their under surface,adjacent either end, with what may be termed supporting casin s 3. Thesecasings are provided with attac ing flanges 4 and adjacent their rearend are provided with vertical recesses or sockets 5,

in which the heads 6 of the pivoting pins 7.

are adapted to be secured. The head 6 and socket 5 form a ball andsocket joint which permits the pin to be moved universally.

The forward end of each casing is provided with an arcuate recess 8 andcommunicating with it is a slot 9 formed in the bottom of the casing,through which projects the supporting pin 10. This pin ISPI'OVldGd witha head 11 which. travels in the recess 8 and is held centrally on saidrecess by springs 12 arranged upon either side. The pin is also heldwith its head 11 elevated from the bottom of the recess by means of aspiral spring 13 which surrounds the shank and rests upon the bottom ofthe casing on either side of the slot.

Pivotally secured to the pins 7 and 10 of each casing, are couplingboxes l4, each of which has passing therethroughv a plurality ofcylinders 15 which are connected to the regular train pipes 16 and 17,as here shown, by flexible hose 19. As the pipes 16 and 1'? are heldrigid and the coupling box .14 is movable laterally and vertically,

it is necessary that'the flexible hose 19 be means of packing glands'23which permit the casing to slide upon the cylinders against the tensionof suitable springs 24 without losing any air to the main coupling box.

Bridged across the channels in the coupling casing, are struts 25 havingprojecting at right angles therefrom the valve operating pins 26 whichare adapted to enter the ends of the cylinders 15 and operate the flavalves 27 arranged therein.

garried by the outer end of the coupling casing is a coupling head 28which is preferably provided with two ormore coneshaped projections 29adapted toenter similarly shaped sockets 30 formed in the coupling headon the opposite coupling. Leading through these rojections and throughthe head and also rom the sockets, are channels 31 which register withthe separate sections in the coupling casing, as divided by thepartitions 22.

In operation, the coupling box, being conagainst.

nected to the pin 10, has its forward end adapted to swing laterally ina horizontal direction and at the same time is permitted to moveupwardly and downwardly by reason of the flexibility of the spring 13.Any unevenness, therefore, between the separate cars, is promptly takenup and the coupling heads it) kept in constant fluid tight engagement,the sockets 30 preferably holding rubber or other suitable gaskets whichwill make these joints fluid tight. \Vhen both couplings are inengagement with one another, the coupling casing in each box is forcedbackwardly through the opening 20 over the cylinders 15 against thetension of the springs 24:, thus bringing the pins 26 into engagementwith the valves 27, opening the same and permitting the fluid from thepipes 16, 17 to flow through into the next car. hen the cars areuncoupled, the springs 2st force the coupling casing outwardly and thevalves closed automatically by reason of the pressure there- From theforegoing description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the construction and operation of the invention will bereadily understood without requiring a more extended explanation;

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to Without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advanpended claims.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is: v

1. An air coupling box support comprising a casing, a pin pivotallymounted in the casing and connected 'to the coupling to support one endthereof, and means carried by the casing and connected to the oppositeend of the coupling adapted to permit lateral movement of the coupling.

2. An air coupling box support comprising a casing, a pin pivotallymounted in the casing and connected to the coupling to support one endthereof, and means carried by the casing and connected to the oppositeend of the coupling adapted to permit lateral and vertical movement ofthe coupling.

3. A coupling box support comprising a casing, a pin pivotally mountedin the easing and having connection with the coupling, a pin connectedto the opposite end of the coupling and having connection with thecasing. means to normally hold said pin centrally of the casing, andmeans to nor mally hold said pin elevated in the casing.

41. In an air hose coupler for cars, a coupling box, a support for thesame, a frame slidably mounted within the coupling box and having aplurality of separated chaii nels, cylinders in the box having relativemovement with respect to said frame, valves in said cylinders to controlthe air to said channels, a coupling head upon said frame, and meansoperated in the connection of separate cars for opening all of thevalves in said cylinders simultaneously.

5. In a device of the class described,fa casing, a plurality ofcylinders mounted in said casing, valves in said cylinders, a frameslidably mounted upon said cylinders within the casing and havingseparated compart ments for each cylindeig'a coupling head carried bysaid frame having channels regi'stering with the compartments in saidframe, and means carried in said compart ments and operatedsimultaneously with the frame when separate cars are coupled to open thevalves in the cylinders.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesscs.

ADOLPHUS H. IIARRI S.

l/Vitnesses Jos. B. Osman, R. 0. Jones.

